Leave a Whisper
by tinypinkmouse
Summary: Dean has always known that sooner or later everyone leaves him. Sequel to "Take This Life", Dean/Gabriel.


_**So this is part of a series that goes like this: 'Soothe the Pain', 'Whisper a Sunset', 'Give Me Wings', 'Take This Life', this fic and lastly 'Tell Me Lies**_'. __

_**Really, when this series is done I am so re-posting everything as chapters to one story, it's ridiculous how there's no way to link these together.  
**_

* * *

Dean isn't sure where things went wrong. There isn't any one moment he can point at and say that that's where it all started. If it was that simple he could do something about it. If he knew what the problem was they could talk about it (and yes, things are bad enough that he's thinking about talking about it). It's not that easy.

Nothing out of the ordinary has happened; Dean hasn't done anything, Gabriel hasn't done anything. They've been kind of busy, but that's nothing new either. They've had things to do before, and after the whole Apocalypse-that-wasn't it'd take a whole hell of a lot of stress to make an impact on either of them. So that can't be it.

Still, one morning Dean walks into the kitchen, makes coffee and looks at the magnets on the fridge spell out: _Morning baby. Have to run, be back late. Sorry._ And realises that he hasn't seen Gabriel for three days and has no idea when Gabriel's been here to leave that message.

Of course he knows Gabriel never came to bed last night, but Dean's kind of used to going to bed alone sometimes; angels don't sleep. But Gabriel happens to be an angel that has a disturbing cuddling habit and obviously that's not the only thing they use the bed for, so he really should have noticed three nights without any Gabriel at all.

Dean's not sure how he could have missed the fact that Gabriel hasn't been around. Gabriel isn't something you can ignore when he is there, so Dean should have noticed when he wasn't. And alright Dean's had things to do; work's been kind of busy and that file he's been putting together for Bobby's been taking up some time and then he'd promised to take Ben out to the game and… well, he just hadn't realised that Gabriel hasn't been home at all.

The archangel comes and goes a lot, so that's not out of the ordinary either. And it's not like he hasn't been gone for longer than this, but… Dean should have noticed. Gabriel should have told him. And neither of them did.

Dean tears his eyes away from the words on the fridge and realises he's been staring at them for long enough for the coffee to get done. He pours himself a cup and gulps it down even if it's all too hot and decides he doesn't really need any breakfast today.

Before he leaves he stops at the fridge and sticks a few magnets under Gabriel's message.

_Okay. See you._

_

* * *

_

Dean gets home late, which isn't much of a surprise. It's a busy time of year and unlike some of the others he doesn't really mind staying late. Dean's still not sure what to do with all the free time.

He flicks on the lights and walks over to the living room. He falls down into the comfy red couch. He should go shower, he's fucking filthy, but he's too tired to care. He picks up the remote control to the huge ass flat screen TV and doesn't turn it on. The empty TV screen feels disturbing and wrong, but somehow Dean just doesn't care.

He stares at it for a while and then forces himself to get back up and go to the kitchen.

_Still busy,_ the fridge tells him. _Back tomorrow._

Dean thinks he hates whoever thought it'd be funny to give them magnetic poetry as a gift.

Oh… yeah, Cas.

Dean moves the _Okay_ under the new message, before he drags himself to the bathroom.

* * *

The next morning there's a new message again. _Sorry, baby. You were sleeping._

Dean stares at the words for a long while and doesn't even make coffee before he heads out.

* * *

Dean doesn't stay at work late. The house is empty and the message on the fridge hasn't changed.

After he takes a shower, he gets the file he's been putting together and the laptop and sits down at the kitchen table to finish the thing so he can send it off to Bobby. But first, he makes himself a few hasty sandwiches to eat while he works.

About an hour later Dean gets a book from the living room and returns to the kitchen. The words on the fridge spell out the same message still.

By the time he's finished it's late enough that he might as well go to bed.

Gabriel is still gone and the words on the refrigerator haven't changed.

* * *

Dean can't sleep. That's no real surprise, without the occasional angelic intervention he'd probably never get a decent nights sleep. He doesn't even really mind the implied intrusion anymore and if he tells himself that Gabriel is repaying a favour then he's kind of doing it for Gabriel and that's not so bad. It's not like Dean can't manage without the help.

Half way through the night he gives up and walks back into the kitchen. Everything is just the way he left it.

He stares at the magnets on the fridge.

His fist collides with the metal door.

What the hell happened to them?

Dean rubs his damp eyes and starts to quietly rearrange the magnets. It takes him almost an hour before he's satisfied and he leaves the kitchen, dark and empty, and heads to the living room to distract himself with mindless late night TV.

* * *

Dean wakes up with a warm body cuddling him, it's familiar enough that his still sleepy brain doesn't think twice about it.

"Morning," Gabriel says softly and Dean blinks.

Then he blinks again, because it's Gabriel and they're in bed and Dean's been sleeping. And a part of Dean wants to be angry, but he's feeling too relieved and too fucking comfortable and he's not going to say anything stupid because Gabriel is _here_, with him.

"I'm sorry," Gabriel tells him softly. "I missed you too."

The kiss that follows quickly turns into a whole lot more.

* * *

Later Dean walks into the kitchen and makes himself coffee. Gabriel snaps him some breakfast and a Mars bar for himself. Dean looks at the fridge and grins.

"You cheated," he tells the angel and walks over to move one magnet.

Gabriel shrugs, eyes following Dean. "I had more important things to do," and despite the smirk there's something very sincere about the words.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Gabriel drawls and before Dean has time to react he's already trapped between the fridge and the angel. Not that he minds when said angel's tongue is shoved into his mouth and his hands are doing _that._

Dean doesn't really mind so much that he's late for work either.

* * *

It's a whole lot later when Dean finally finds out that the magnets on the fridge are stuck. And he's never letting anyone inside their kitchen, ever, but maybe he doesn't really mind as much as he should.

* * *

_Sorry. If I have to talk I will. Do not care what this is but sorry. Miss you. Love you. And we are never doing this again. Get it, you stupid angel?_

_Got it, Winchester. Sorry. I love you too, idiot, and I'm not going anywhere. I can prove it too. So, what do you say, wanna get hitched?_

_Okay._


End file.
